Base-ball glove.



3.111. GAssAwAY.' BASE BALL GLOVE.

aum/mma 1H: Nonms Persms cu., wAsHmsToN. n. c.

l IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. JOHN H. GAssAWAY, OE WASHINGTON, DIs'rEIOT OE COLUMBIA,

-AssIeNoE To GEORGE A. REACH, OE PHILADELPHIA, .PENN- SYLVANIA.4

BASE-BALL vG|LOVE No. 839,063. l.

. Patented Dec..18, 1906.

To wil'whom it may concern: y y

Be it known that I, JOHN I-I. GAssAwAY, a citizen ofthe United- States, residing at Washington, in `thegDistrict of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Base-Ball Gloves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others. skilled inthe artpto which. it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to base-ball gloves, and especially to the mittsused `by players other than the catcher.

The chief object of said invention is to greatly increase the size of the pocket in gloves of this character and also to improve the glove as a whole by providing it with better means of attachment to the Wrist of the'l player and with improved means for deaden- Ing the impact of the ball when caught therein.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter more' claimed. A

In the accompanying drawings, Figurel l represents a view of a glove embodying my invention, showing the inner or palm side thereof; and Fig. 2 is a similar view of the' same, showing, partly in section, the opposite side of said glove. l

A designates the body or palm of the glove, B the spreader-bar embedded in the rear part of the 'padding thereof, and C a Wristband or strap attached at one point to the rear edge of saidv body. This ,bodyv A is constructed in the following novel manner. Instead of padding the whole palm, as has heretofore been done, I provide a very heavy pad A at the' sides and rear end of said body and leave the center entirely unpadded. Said heavy pad at the sides and rear keeps the front and back walls of the glove-body apart, and thus creates a large air-chamber or aircushion exactly at the point where the impact is greatest. The leather wall or face a on the inner or palm side of the glove is made as inelastic as possible in order to decrease any tendency the ball may have to rebound upon impact. Such impact will drive in particularly set yforth and wall a, even if exceedingly inelastic material be used, compressing the air in said air chamberror cushion. The cushioning -eiect of:

l this sudden compression of thevair therein is of course very great and takes up far the greater part of the jar and strain incident tov such catching. As the wall a recedes under ythe blow of the ball it will of course cause the lsides of the pocket to contract, enabling the lplayer to make a surer catch. This pocket as occupied but a'small fraction of the inner surface ofthe baseeball gloves heretofore made and used. To greatly increase the size and efliciency of said pocket is the chief aim of the resent invention. For this purpose I emp oy my spreader-bar B in connection With a loop X and Wristband or other means of one-point attachment to the wrist of the player. Said bar is preferably a straight metal or whalebone rod embedded in the centerv of the rear pad ofthe body, as shown, running clear through from side to side thereof and holding that end of the glove perfectly flat. This spreads the rear corners of the glove far apart, permitting a great increase in the size of said pocket. Said rod is prevented by the heavy padding in which it is embedded from injuring the hand or wrist ofthe wearer.

Ordinarily in gloves of this class the wrist attachment consists of a strap or lacing ex- -tending from corner to corner of the rear end thereof, across the back of the wearers wrist. This of course pulls the corners of the glove partly together, distorting the body of said glove and greatly decreasing the size and utility of said pocket. My spreader-bar alone if used with such a strap would of course tend to overcome this objection; but I prefer to employ my means of one-point attachment to the wrist. Said means consists of a Wristband or strap C passing through a loop X on the rear end of the body of the- Yshown in Fig. 2,` extends much farther up I may also dispense entirely with any IOO than is usual in this class of gloves and holds the glove in proper position, the rear arm b of pad or'roll A fitting snugly at the base of the Wrist just above the heel of the hand. This latter form Without any Wrist-strap or other attachment. is, s simpler, cheaper to manufacture, and in practical use has been found very satisfactory.

The pad A is usually formed in tlireeintegral branches or arms-two side arms a c', arranged one along each side edge of the glove-body, and the third arm b', arranged along the rear or upper edge of said body and at right angles to the other arms a/ andc.

I-Iaving` thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A base-ball glove provided With an airspace in the body thereof in combination with padding surrounding said space and a spreader-bar extending through one side of said padding for the purpose set forth.

2. In a base-ball glove, an air-cushion in the palm thereof in combination with a spreader-bar at the rear end of the glove, adapted to keep the said rear end extended and thereby prevent any decrease in the size of the cushion of said glove, and means for attaching one point of said rear end to the players Wrist substantially as set forth.

3. In a base-ball glove, pad A and spreader-bar B, embedded in the rear arm b of said pad and adapted to keep the saine extended in a straight line, in combination with Wrist-strap C, attached at one point only to the rear end of said glove substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN II. GASSZWVAY.

Witnesses:

FRANK G. CAMPBELL, GEO. H. PETERsEN. 

